St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-04
A REPUBLICAN STATEMENT
Regarding the Ex-COnfederate
Reunion at Macon.

NASH LILLE, lcull., NON. O.-u. w ..
Clifford, gentleman well known to the
business men of Nashville and Tennes-
see, was present at the reunion of eX-
confederates at Macon. Ga, which Presi-
dent Davis attended, and stood within a
few feet of him during the scenes of the
review of which the Northern Republi-
can press have had so much to say. Mr..
Clifford located in Nashville at the close
of the war. and has been member of
two of the largest wholesale firms in the
city, McAliSter, Clifford Il Co. At pres
ent he is general agent for Tennessee
and Southern Kentucky of several large
manufacturing concerns. No citizen is
more highly respected. Mr.. Clifford is a
pronounced Republican and eX-UniOn
soldier. He is member of George II.
Thomas Post No. l, Il. A. r. He has
Just returned from Georgia. and in an
interview last afternoon he said:
have no desire to parade my name in
print nor seek to be OtfciOEs ] trust that
those who know Inc do not regard me as a
sensation seeker or maker, but i feel il my
duty as an American citizen TO protest against
the wrong which is being done the people of
the South. and more particularly of Georgia,
IN the publications which are being made by
leading journals of my party in regard to the
conduct of ey-cOnfederateS 1T the Macon re-
I. ..
man who knows me knows that / was
Union soldier, and always have been a firm
Republican in politics. Ii is true that the
alleged incidents which are made the basis
of this assault by the Northern and Eastern
press occurred i'll Georgia. but the assault has
Widened until ii is sought TO reflect upon the
loyalty of the whole South. / was in Macon
for nearly week, from Friday night TO Sat.
urday morning of the next week. was
there on business, but met many old friends
naroCrf no nN "a "a |
royalty entertained in my life. They knew
that was a Union veteran, but that made no
difference. Some Of the boys that used to wear
the gray asked Inc why did not wear the
Grand Army badge. saying they would like to
see our badge alongside theirs. A pressing
invitation was extended to me and other
Union soldiers to drop in line with the eX
cOnfederates and march side by side with
them. / have never in my life seen a city so
generally and handsomely decorated as Ma
con was. There were Il few confederate
flags futtering, but these were principally in
front of saloons and underneath them were
placardS stating the saloon was confederate
headquarters the motive evidently being
sharp dodge of the saloon keeper TO attract
custom. | saw few confederate flags on
private buildings, but | wish to say that
did not see a single confederate flag on a
house which was not surrounded by scores
of the national flags. The national colors
were in ali directions; l never saw them so
handsomely and numerouSly displayed in my
life. The occasion was q reunion of confed-
crates to greet their old president before he
died. and | was not surprised to find these
confederate emblems, but | say as Union
soldier. jealous of the cause | fought for.
that those embiems were there, / could
plainly sec, merely as q tender tribute 20
the past, and the magnificent decora-
tons with the national cOlOrS, the thousands
of national flags and the whole conduct of
the people eyinced a loyalty to the Union
which no man could possibly avoid recog-
4 l.
Mr.. Davis ON the front porch of Col. John
sons residence when the meeting between
him and the Confederate veterans, about
which so much instrumentation has been
made, occurred. i saw the chair brought
ont and the old man take his seat in it. His
wife and daughters were about him. Mr..
Davis was very infirm, one could see at
glance; he was very much excited. and so
weak that his family and friends feared the
effect OF the trying ordeal on him. When
the head of the column entered the yard and,
advancing to the railing. begged TO shake
hands with him, his wife and daughters
took hold OF his arms and begged HIM to
keep his seat. reminding him of his feeble
condition. They were evidently alarmed
about him. and viewed his excitement with
undisguised tTepidation. While they were
imploring him TO be calm and remain where
ne was. the flag was pushed forward TO the
railing. Mrs. Davis leaned forward, ano pluck
ing shred from its torn and battered folds,
fell back in her chair and putting her hands
10 her face, began to weep. The scene was
such that no man could have resisted its
pathos. The old man who had presided over
lost cause, tottering on The verge of the
grave, for the last time, he knew. was in the
presence or those who had once followed
him and were now bidding him an earthly
farewell Not an eye in that vast assemblage
was dry. Men wept, yes, but their tears were
not disloyaity TO the Mon, but forced from
Them by the sadness Of the scene. Union
soldiers who were there wept and are not
r.a t
citement that the flag was pushed forward to
MIR. Davis. Rising with an effort he con-
vUlSiyely slIaiched its folds and pressed them
TO his lips. then fell back in his chair ex-
hausted. Then arose cries for Gen Gordon
He stepped TO the front and delivered a
speech as loyal 10 the Union as any John
Sherman ever made. When he referred
TO the perfect union of the sections
to-day under the flag, the cheering
was louder and more spontaneous by
far than that which greeted the
incident Of the flag. No man could have
looked upon that assemblage and heard their
shouts and honestly entertained the faintest
idea that these people are diSloyal to the I'm
ion. The flag was not torn to pieces by men
eager to preserve relics of the emblem which
Jefferson Davis had kissed, es the Republi-
can press charge. 1t was quietly borne
away. and not shred was taken from it, ex-
cepi that by Mrs. Davis. walked among the
ex-confederates of Macon and talked with
hundreds and declare, with all sincerity
and truthfulness. that did not see or hear O
single thing which indicated any nntagonism
of the Union. Remember that after it was
all over was talking with party Of men
who had fought for the Union and hap
pened, like l, TO be in Macon ON business,
and some one remarked that he wondered If
any attempt would be made by the Republi-
can press 10 misrepresent the occasion, and
we agreed that those who seek TO make
the people of other sections believe
that the ex-confederates had acted as
enemies to the Union and given vent TO dis
loyal sentiments would lie nothing short of